Alright. I figured it was hight time I fix up the mess of tech problems that The Roberta Williams Anthology and the Police Quest Collection Series have been causing me. So, I do the standard setup that I did with the Space Quest Collection. They work great with the early games from the Anthology. "Finally," I say aloud. "No more problems." Yeah. Right. I try King's Quest V, King's Quest VI, Laura Bow 2, King's Quest VII, and Police Quest 1-4. I get a message back saying, in all these games, "Can't Load Resource.000! Script #: 0, IP: 0"

...

I try them on Windows. I get another message saying: "Cannot find GDI.DLL", then it says it can't find the game's directory. This started only after I transfered the game files to my "dosgames" file...

Well, thanks, Sierra, for this screw-over and the countless screw-overs to come.

UPDATE: When I put the PQ Collection CD in, the install menu comes up. I click install and the same "Cannot find GDI.DLL" thing pops up. Then, "Cannot find Dsetup" I can't even DOSbox this. What the hell did I do?

[fov]

Have you been forcing the games to quit using Ctrl-Alt-Del? Sometimes that causes the GDI.DLL error.

Go into your task manager. Look for something called "wowexec" and end the process. (Alternatively, you could reboot your machine.) Then try the games again and see if you still get that GDI.DLL error.

[artwking4]

How is it Sierra's fault that their games don't work on future operating systems?

Originally Posted by fov

Have you been forcing the games to quit using Ctrl-Alt-Del? Sometimes that causes the GDI.DLL error.

That may be. Sometimes I have to do that to get my cursor out of DOSbox.

[Kurufinwe]

Originally Posted by SamNMax

Alright. I figured it was hight time I fix up the mess of tech problems that The Roberta Williams Anthology and the Police Quest Collection Series have been causing me. So, I do the standard setup that I did with the Space Quest Collection. They work great with the early games from the Anthology. "Finally," I say aloud. "No more problems." Yeah. Right. I try King's Quest V, King's Quest VI, Laura Bow 2, King's Quest VII, and Police Quest 1-4. I get a message back saying, in all these games, "Can't Load Resource.000! Script #: 0, IP: 0"

Hey, I told you CD games would be more difficult (I presume those are all CD games?)! I don't have much time right now, but I'll try and get back to you in a couple of hours. In the meantime:

1) Forget about the Windows versions; they're evil; using them kills babies and kittens, and prolongs Cher's life; more importantly, they already didn't work well under Windows 3.1.

2) Prepare the following information:
(a) layout of your installation (i.e. what is on the hard drive, what is left on the CD, how are those mounted under DOSBox)
(b) content of your resource.cfg file (for whatever game you prefer; let's say KQ6 for instance: if this one works, all of them should do as well).

If you really can't wait, you can try figuring it out by yourself, knowing that the idea is that the game needs be told where the resources that normally stay on the CD (audio, SFX, robots [=videos]) are, which should be . (which means "the present folder") or .\robots if you put everything on your hard drive.

I'll getting back to you later anyway, if you give me the information I need.

Alright! Police Quest is good to go. I'm going to try the RW ANthology tommorow. I'll have the info by then, Kuru.

[Kurufinwe]

Well, anyway, since that sort of questions seems to be cropping up every now and again, I have decided to write a quick guide on getting Sierra games to work under DOSBox. This is especially problematic for collection versions, which usually have dysfunctional installers (and they were already dysfunctional under DOS --- thanks a lot, Sierra!). SamNMax, you're probably looking for step 3; tell me if it helps.

THIS IS NEEDLESSLY COMPLICATED AND FULL OF MISTAKES; SEE BELOW IN THE THREAD FOR A NEW VERSION.

These instructions assume that you are familiar with DOSBox and know how to tweak the configuration file (dosbox.conf) to set up the hardware. If that is not the case, please refer to the DOSBox readme, the DOSBox guides and the DOSBox wiki.

Why use DOSBox?
All the Sierra SCI games (i.e. the games between KQ4 and KQ7) were meant to run under DOS. Some had Windows versions, but those were inferior conversions, using, for instance, ugly black and white icons instead of the coloured ones in DOS. Those Windows versions generally do not work well under more recent versions of Windows, especially XP. DOSBox allows you to play the games as they were meant to be played, and it actually works much better (and, believe it or not, is easier to use) than the real MS-DOS. Plus, using it may make you look cool in front of your friends (or like a pathetic geek, depending on the sort of friends you have).

Why not use DOSBox?
1) You're a masochist and you think spending hours trying to get the Windows versions working is funnier than trying to use a scary thing like DOSBox.
2) Some of the newer games (esp. KQ7) might be a tad slow with it. However, check my posts in this thread for a few pointers on speeding up DOSBox before giving up.
3) You want to play KQ6 and you want to see the pretty redrawn hi-res dialogue pictures, which only work with the Windows version. Well, it's your choice really.

Patch the games
Always use the patches from Newrisingsun. Always.

Step 1: Copying the game to your drive
If your machine is fast enough to run DOSBox, you should also have enough hard drive space to copy the entire game, even if it is a CD game. So, just copy the entire game folder (and possible subfolders) to wherever you wish on your hard drive. Make sure you actually get the whole game! (certain collection span over several discs, and even though there may be a few files on the first CD, the full game may be on another one)
Make sure the files are not read-only (which is often the case when directly copied from a CD). To do that: in Windows Explorer, right-click on the folder and choose Properties. There should be a check-box titled "read-only": if it it checked (or shows a mixed-state), uncheck it, click OK, and tell Windows you want the modification to be applied to the folder, its subfolders, files and whatever else Windows may deem useful to apply it to.

Step 2: Setting up your hardware
Sierra games allow you to choose from a variety of sound devices. Usually, that can be set up using the game's INSTALL programme. So, launch DOSBox, go to the game folder and try launching that.
If, for some reason, it doesn't work, you'll have to edit that manually. To do that, locate in the game folder a file called resource.cfg and open it with Notepad. The usual settings are:
videoDrv = VGA320.DRV (sometimes VGA.DRV)
joyDrv = NO
kbdDrv = IBMKBD.DRV
mouseDrv = STDMOUSE.DRV
memoryDrv = ARM.DRV
audioDrv = AUDBLAST.DRV
That should be pretty self-explainatory. Of course, the game expects to find the file XXX.DRV in the game folder, so check if it is indeed there; if it's not, it probably uses another name (for instance, the digital audio driver is sometimes called DACBLAST.DRV instead of AUDBLAST.DRV). Note that older games do not use digital audio and therefore have no audioDrv line. Note also that some games (LSL5?) may not allow you to choose a different device for audio and music.
This also where you can set up the music (soundDrv) device. See the next paragraph.
Note: choosing your music device wisely
Sierra games essentially support 3 types of music devices: AdLib FM-synthesis (ADL.DRV, SNDBLAST.DRV, SBPRO.DRV), MT-32 (MT-32.DRV) and General Midi (GENMIDI.DRV). For older games (up to KQ5/Longbow), the music was composed for an MT-32, which is therefore the best choice, provided you actually have this wonderful device (or use Munt, the MT-32 emulator); for newer games, choose General Midi (the Sierra music gurus over at QuestStudios still do not agree on whether LB2 and LSL5 sound better with MT-32 or GM; you'll have to make your own choice there). For older games, if you do not have an MT-32, use Adlib instead; normally, you should always have a GM compatible device under Windows XP, so you shouldn't have to put up with the ugly Adlib music for newer games. Of course, set up DOSBox appropriately.
Note: various problems with digital audio
If digital audio is distorted or doesn't work (and you're sure it's not a problem of your computer not keeping up with DOSBox), here are a few things you may try:
(a) try incresing the audioSize value in resource.cfg to 32k or 45k.
(b) try using another version of AUD(DAC)BLAST.DRV from another Sierra game.
(c) try changing your SoundBlaster DMA to 3 in the DOSBox configuration (though I think this was due to a bug in DOSBox that has now been fixed; well, you may try it anyway).
If you get the infamous "Unable to initialize your audio hardware" message, try lowering the emulation speed.
Note: Vesa in GK
GK allows you to choose between VGA and VESA graphics. The latter feature hi-res character dialogue pictures. The drawback is that using that mode will make the DOSBox fancy scalers rather useless on the backgrounds, which will therefore appear rather blocky (esp. on large and/or LCD monitors). Nice portraits and ugly blocky backgrounds or average portraits and scaled backgrouds? Once again, it's up to you.

Step 3: Pointing to the resource files (CD games only)
Sierra games were made to work with some files installed on your hard drive while the biggest files (voices, etc.) remained on the CD. But since we have copied them to the hard drive, we have to tell the game where they are. This is set up in resource.cfg.
The format is of the type audio = %dir% , where %dir% is the location of the audio file. So, all you have to do is find the files the game is looking for and tell it where they are. The usual answer is simply . (period) which means "the current directory" in DOS-linguo.
Usually, take as a base what is given in the original resource.cfg, and just try and replace the folders given there by the correct ones. Some lines may require several values, separated by a semi-colon (;); for instance, GK has a line which should look like audio=.\patches;.;.\sfx;.\aud ; that means that, when looking for an audio file, the game will look (in that order) in the patch subfolder under the game folder, the game folder, the sfx subfolder and finally the aud subfolder. If you do things carelessly and, for instance, remove the reference to the sfx folder, you'll get voices but no sound effects. So, look at what you're doing!
Sierra being Sierra, those options are completely inconsitent between games. You should be able to figure things out on your own, though, based on the file names. Depending on your game, you may have the following lines:
audio = . (voices, usually resource.aud)
sfx = . (sound effects, usually resource.sfx)
resAUD = . (same as audio, sometimes in .\AUD)
resSFX = . (same as sfx, sometimes in .\SFX)
sync = . (lip-synching, .\aud for GK)
resMap = . (resource.map in KQ7)
movieDir = .\seq (KQ6 & GK videos)
robot = .\AVI (KQ7 videos)
patchDir is a special case: it is where the game looks for possible patches. If the game came with a patch(es) folder, it should point there, as well as .
Note: leaving files on the CD
Now that you know how to tell the game where to look for the files, you may decide to leave the biggest ones on the CD, and tell the game to find them there. Use, for instance, audio = D:\KQ6. I can't really see the point, though.
Note: other lines in resource.cfg
The file contains a few other parameters, some of which are rather mysterious to me. Leave them be, everything should work fine.

Step 4: Launching the game
The general rule is: do not use the batch file (e.g. kq6.bat) provided with the game, especially if you are using a collection version. Launch the game executable directly; it is usually called sierra.exe, sierra.com, scidhuv.exe. Look for it in your game folder. If you find you can't live without the batch file (e.g. because scidhuv is hard to type), then edit it with notepad leaving only in it the call for the executable (i.e. it should only contain "scidhuv", without quotes).

I hope this is vaguely understandable and, hopefully, helpful!

Uh, maybe I'm reading this carelessly, but where do I input this information given in Step 3?

[Kurufinwe]

resource.cfg, in your game folder (and I knew it would have been more readable if I had made something shorter... I guess I don't know where to stop)

And I keep everything that's already in there, right?

This is what the files look like:
KQ5:

videoDrv = VGA320.DRV
soundDrv = ADL.DRV
audioDrv = AUDBLAST.DRV
joyDrv = NO
kbdDrv = IBMKBD.DRV
mouseDrv = STDMOUSE.DRV
memoryDrv = ARM.DRV
mode = real
minHunk = 206K
directory = \SIERRA\kq5
audio=.resource.aud
sfx=.resource.sfx
resAUD=.\AUD
resSFX=.\SFX

KQ6:

videoDrv = VGA320.DRV
soundDrv = SBPRO.DRV
audioDrv = AUDBLAST.DRV
joyDrv = NO
kbdDrv = IBMKBD.DRV
mouseDrv = STDMOUSE.DRV
memoryDrv = ARM.DRV
mode = real
minHunk = 207k
language = 1
cmd = kq6cd
sync = .\
audio = .\
audioSize = 8K
cd = YES
audio=.resource.aud
sfx =.resource.sfx
resAUD=.\AUD
reSFX=.\SFX
movieDIR=.\seq

KQ7:

directory = \sierra\rwanth\kq7d
videoDrv = VESA.DRV
soundDrv = ADL.DRV
audioDrv = DACBLAST.DRV
joyDrv = NO
cmd = KQ7
mouseDrv = NONE
memoryDrv = NONE
minMemory = 1600k
brightness= 0
language = 1
minCPU = 386
CD = yes
audio=.resource.aud
sfx=.resource.sfx)
resAUD=.\AUD)
resSFX=.\SFX)
resMAP=.resource.map
robat=.\AVI

LB2:

videoDrv = VGA320.DRV
soundDrv = ADL.DRV
audioDrv = AUDBLAST.DRV
joyDrv = NO
kbdDrv = IBMKBD.DRV
mouseDrv = STDMOUSE.DRV
memoryDrv = NO
audioSize = 32k
minHunk = 206K
cd = yes


audio=.resource.aud
sfx=.resource.sfx
resAUD=.\AUD
resSFX=.\SFX
patchDir=.\;audiosfx\.

Did I get it right?

[Kurufinwe]

No, that's not really it.

1) Don't give the name of the file, just the directory (folder) it is in; for instance, audio = . , not audio = .\resource.aud (or whatever). I gave the names of the files so that you could locate them.

2) You shouldn't have to add lines, just to modify those already present in the orginal file, giving the correct directory. If, for instance, KQ6 included the lines :

audio = D:\
synch = D:\
movieDir = D:\seq\

or maybe:

audio = D:\KQ6\
synch = D:\KQ6\
movieDir = D:\KQ6\seq\

Replace them with:

audio = .
synch = .
movieDir = .\seq

I hope this is clearer. It's very late here though (2AM), so I'm not sure I'm making much sense, and I'm going to bed.

I'm not hearing any kind of sound in KQ5, the same error meaasge with KQ6, an error message saying "Can not find 999.pal" in KQ7, and the same error message in LB2. I doubt I did it right.

[fov]

The 999.pal error usually comes up if you don't have CD #1 in the drive when you start the game (at least, it does on games like GK2 and Phantasmagoria). In my experience, if it's a multi-CD game and you have more than drive, you can keep CD #1 in one drive and whatever CD you're using at that point in the game in your other drive.

What's the error you're getting with KQ6? (Not sure what you're referring to when you say "the same error" - are you also getting one with KQ5?)

1) I have the CD in the drive in KQ7

2) "The same error" is the "Resource.000" error

3) KQ5 is up and running, just no sound.

[Kurufinwe]

Originally Posted by SamNMax

I'm not hearing any kind of sound in KQ5, the same error meaasge with KQ6, an error message saying "Can not find 999.pal" in KQ7, and the same error message in LB2. I doubt I did it right.

That may like a very silly question, but are you sure you have actually copied the data files on your hard drive? I don't have my RWA CDs with me at the moment (since the games are entirely on my hard drive) but I seem to remember that there were minimal versions of the games (basically, what the installer copied of the drive) on CD1, while the big data files were on the other CDs.

Let's take KQ6 for example:

I've put it in C:\SIERRA\KQ6 .
In that directory, I have several files, including :
- the many *.DRV hardware drivers
- a huge RESOURCE.AUD (voices)
- RESOURCE.SFX (SFX - duh!)
- 65535.MAP, MESSAGE.MAP, RESOURCE.MAP, RESOURCE.MSG
- RESOURCE.000 (the actual game)
- a SEQ subfolder containing several *.SEQ files (intro videos)
- EXE, installer, etc.
- patch files (*.HEP, *.SCR)
- RESOURCE.CFG (config file)

And my RESOURCE.CFG reads:

videoDrv = VGA320.DRV
soundDrv = GENMIDI.DRV
audioDrv = AUDBLAST.DRV
joyDrv = NO
kbdDrv = IBMKBD.DRV
mouseDrv = STDMOUSE.DRV
memoryDrv = ARM.DRV
directory = \SIERRA\KQ6
mode = real
minHunk = 207k
language = 1
cmd = kq6cd
sync = .\
audio = .\
audioSize = 45K
cd = YES
movieDir =.\seq
patchDir =.

Please tell me how your folder contents / RESOURCE.CFG differ, and we should be able to work things out (and even if it eventually works, please do tell me what you did wrong --- I'm trying to rewrite my big post above to make it clearer, so knowing what went wrong will help me get it better).

[Kurufinwe]

Actually, forget all that, I'm just a complete fool. I've done what I should have done long ago, i.e. check against the actual contents of the CDs.

I've just downloaded an ISO of the collection CD checked with my sources, and it seems things are both simpler are more complicated.

Here are the new instructions:

1) mount your CD drive in DOSBox
2) go to the game folder on the CD (where the complete game is, not the small version on CD1) and run install -f (the -f is the key here). That should give you the "real" installer, asking you on which drive / directory you want to install the game. Follow the installation process.
3) you can actually try launching the game from where it has been installed (running as usual the .exe, not the batch file) -- it might work.
4) if it doesn't, then you have to correct the paths in resource.cfg; either:
- point them to the right folder on the CD (e.g. the file may say audio = D:\ whilst the audio file for the game is actually in D:\KQ6 --- this is due to the people making the collection not updating the default paths), or
- copy the not-installed big files on your hard drive (you may for instance copy the whole folder but refuse to replace existing files --- make sure not to overwrite resource.cfg; and, of course, do the read-only stuff) and update the paths in RESOURCE.CFG (e.g. replace audio = D:\ with audio = . , etc.).

I think that should work. Please tell me if this is the case, and I'll update my guide accordingly. And please forgive me for wasting so much time with my incompetence; I'd put a big bang-head-in-wall smiley here if I didn't have to disable smileys for the paths to display correctly.

I've followed it right down to the wire and... didn't work. Sorry.

Look, I don't want you to waste your time on this, so I wouldn't mind if you just forget about this.

Oh, and the problem is, that I can't type when the install screen comes up. It won't let me.

[Kurufinwe]

I don't understand. OK, this is what I just did under DOSBox using the KQ-collection version, with CD2 in the drive and no KQ6 file already copied on my hard drive.

Z:\> mount c c:\
Z:\> mount d d:/ -t cdrom -usecd 0 -ioctl
Z:\> d:
D:\> install6 -f

Then install on C, C:\SIERRA\KQ6CD\, choose devices, large install.
I'm returned to C:\Sierra

C:\SIERRA> cd kq6cd
C:\SIERRA\KQ6CD> sierra

And that's it, it works, with voices, videos and all (finding them on the CD). Though, as I said, it might be more complicated for the RWA version and you may have to edit RESOURCE.CFG to point at the right folder for synch, audio and movieDir. And, onc again, please check that you're installing from the right CD and folder.

Please just try that. Even if the paths in RESOURCE.CFG are wrong, the game should launch (without voices and videos). Your error message about a missing resource.000 is really odd. If you still get it after trying what I have just described, please post the contents of your resource.cfg and those of your game folder (on the hard drive).

I'm a very stubborn person and I'm certainly not giving up now that I've checked that my method works. Unless you get tired of it, of course. :)